2020 Au Bon Climat, Isabelle, Pinot Noir, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2020 Pinot Noir Isabelle is a blend of the best barrels across all the vineyards Au Bon Climat sources from. Dark and enveloping, the Isabelle has a ton to offer. Dark red/purplish fruit, spice, lavender and licorice are nicely pushed forward. There's minimal stem inclusion here, and that comes through in the wine's lush fruit and supple contours.
Au Bon Climat remains a reference point for Santa Barbara, perhaps THE reference point given the global reach these wines now enjoy. I have not seen too many changes here since Jim Clendenen passed away in early 2021, although most of these wines were made while he was still alive. The signatures are a fair amount of new oak for the Chardonnays, but often with a prominent use of large and thick-staved 350L barrels, and heavy use of whole clusters for the Pinots. The top selections often see extended time in wood. Of course, it all starts with sourcing at some of the very finest vineyards in Santa Barbara. Jim Clendenen influenced pretty much all of today’s younger generation, and that influence remains. Readers will find a number of compelling wines in this year’s crop of new releases.
Drink 2023 - 2030
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (September 2023)
The 2020 Pinot Noir Isabelle opens with iodine, underbrush and tea leaves over a core of wild red and black berries. The palate is light-bodied, supple and juicy, with fragrant, earth-laced fruit and a long finish. It opens with time in the glass, so it may benefit from 2-3 more years in bottle.
Drink 2024 - 2034
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate (December 2023)
Lastly, the 2020 Pinot Noir Isabelle is all Pinot Noir from six different vineyards and four different AVAs. Its translucent ruby hue is followed by a great nose of spiced red and black berry fruits, spring flowers, savory herbs, and assorted baking spice nuances. Beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and elegant on the palate, it has integrated acidity, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's easily my favorite in the lineup and will evolve for another 10-12+ years.
Drink 2023 - 2036
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (August 2023)
About this WINE
Au Bon Climat
The late Jim Clendenen founded Au Bon Climat (ABC) in 1982. He became famous for making pioneering wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on California’s Central Coast. He passed away in 2021 and is remembered as one of the most charismatic and influential people of his vinous generation.
Jim’s passion for wine was born from a trip to Burgundy in the mid-1970s when he studied Law at UC Santa Barbara. During subsequent visits, his enthusiasm for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grew, and he became convinced that the Californian hills were capable of something special with these two noble varieties.
Au Bon Climat translates as “a well-exposed vineyard”, a name that suits the vineyards’ coastal position, with its benevolent Pacific fog and cooling breeze. Making the most of these conditions, ABC buy clones from Burgundy. This contributes to creating wines that emulate Europe’s restraint and finesse but with a magic touch of New World flair.
The vineyards ABC source their grapes from read as a ‘who’s who’ of Central Coast vineyards. Bien Nacido and Jim’s “Le Bon Climat” are the most significant contributors. The influence of the Pacific can be felt standing in the canyon of Bien Nacido, where the warm days and cool nights characterise this superb terroir. Le Bon Climat, in contrast, consists of mainly hilltop vineyards which were certified organic in 2003.
Santa Maria Valley
Located in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Maria Valley is known for its unique climate, known as the Santa Maria Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), which significantly influences the winemaking process and the resulting wines.
The climate is typically cool and moderate, strongly influenced by the nearby Pacific Ocean. The region experiences a combination of maritime and inland influences, with foggy mornings, mild days, and cool evenings. This unique climate helps to preserve the natural acidity and delicate flavours of the grapes, making it ideal for producing high-quality wines.
Several grape varieties thrive in the region, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay being the most prominent. Pinot Noir grapes benefit from the region’s cooler climate, producing wines with complexity, elegance, and bright red fruit flavours. Chardonnay grapes also flourish in the Valley’s climate, producing wines with crisp acidity and balanced flavours.
The Winemakers focus on minimal intervention and sustainable practices, allowing the unique characteristics of the grapes and terroir to shine through in the wines. Many wineries employ traditional winemaking methods, including hand-harvesting the grapes and using open-top fermentation vessels for red wines. Some producers also use oak ageing to add complexity and texture to their wines.
The Santa Maria Valley is home to several notable wineries and vineyards, each contributing to the region’s reputation for producing exceptional wines. One of the most renowned wineries in the area is Au Bon Climat.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
Isabelle Clendenen says of her eponymous wine that it is “the closest thing to a Henri Jayer-style Burgundy” they make. Her father, the wonderful Jim Clendenen, was great friends with Henri; he looked to him as a mentor and, with this blend of the finest five barrels across all the vineyards he worked with, he hoped to emulate him whilst also endeavouring to show off the very best that California has to offer.
The most noticeable thing about this wine is how its glorious, sweet, rich strawberry fruit is perfectly matched by its intensity and power. It is overt and almost hedonistic on the nose with sweet spice elements.
This concentration continues upon tasting yet an undercurrent of supreme freshness brings everything into focus, and a fine savoury line cleanses the palate, leaving a wonderfully refreshing sensation and making this a perfect match with more decadent foods. 2020 Isabelle is a gorgeous expression, not only of the finest quality that California can provide but also of Jim Clendenen’s unique and visionary winemaking style.
Drink now until 2044
Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (October 2022)
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